Columbus Dispatch...
An enterprising plan
Ohio’s higher-ed chancellor outlines bold changes to spark innovation, cut costs
Sunday, August 21, 2001 

Ohio needs a new approach to higher education, one that recognizes that its 14 public universities aren’t likely to get much money under the state’s tight budget and so shouldn’t continue to be shackled by cumbersome, costly and archaic rules. 

The legislature should embrace, after thorough review and thoughtful tweaks, a bold plan created by Jim Petro, chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents. 

Schools that meet rigorous fiscal and academic targets would have the opportunity to become “enterprise universities.” These schools would be given more freedom in construction, employment, procurement and reporting rules. They would save significantly through increased efficiency and the freedom to innovate, and in return, they’d agree to forgo 10 percent to 20 percent of their per-student state funding. 

Petro believes schools would come out ahead. They’d be better positioned to translate research into marketable products and to land top-performing students. 

He proposes setting up an Ohio merit-scholarship fund that enterprise universities could tap to recoup state dollars. More scholarships could make Ohio schools more attractive to young people, which plays a role in stemming brain drain. College graduates often settle where they studied, often because professors and programs help them make job connections. 

All universities would benefit from reforms under Petro’s proposal. For example, state construction rules add exorbitant costs, which end up being passed onto the dormitory residents and university hospital patients served by public remodeling and building projects. 

The plan also proposes to end enrollment limits, enacted in 1969 to divert students to then-fledging state colleges. Those caps have not been adjusted since 1989. The colleges are well-established now, so this restriction is needlessly detrimental to students who wish to attend a particular university. 

Other proposed reforms will require another look. For example, allowing enterprise universities to settle claims of up to $300,000 without oversight from the attorney general’s office could backfire. The AG now requires such settlements to be filed in court, providing the public with a record to judge how schools handled claims such as discrimination, medical malpractice and sexual harassment. 

Many universities either don’t require trustees to approve settlements or allow them to go into executive session to discuss legal settlements privately. Under the proposal, 17 of 139 university cases filed since 2009 would have fallen below the threshold and been hidden from public view. 

The legislature should safeguard the public’s right to know where their tax dollars are going. 

But that is one small part of the whole. Overall, this sensible plan would give universities a way to maintain their excellence during tight times. 

Read it at the Columbus Dispatch